Golf board game

ABSTRACT

A golf board game comprising a game board showing a plurality of individual golf holes, at least one chance device operated by a player for determining “line” and “distance,” and a plurality of ball markers positionable on the board at location marks arranged at spaced intervals in a plurality of generally longitudinal lines along each hole. Each line corresponds to a marking on the “line” chance device. The position of a player&#39;s ball marker for a shot is a combination of the “line” and “distance” as determined by the at least one chance device. A shot index reference provides the distance for each club for each outcome of the chance device as well as a putting index and a pitch-and-putt index. The location marks may be apertures through the board, preferably with the same lines of apertures used for the golf holes on both sides of the board.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), ofU.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/254,8458, filed Dec. 13,2000, pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates, generally, to board games. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to golf board games for simulating around of golf.

[0004] 2. Background Information

[0005] The state of the art includes various golf board games. Boardsare laid out to simulate a golf course with simulated golf holes printedon one side or sometimes two sides of a board. Each golf hole typicallyincludes a tee area, a green with a cup, which is the target, a fairwaybetween the tee area and the green, and various hazards simulating thosefound on a conventional golf course.

[0006] The location of a player's ball during the game is marked on theboard typically in one of several ways. Some games use playing pieceswith a generally flat base that can be moved around the board to anylocation to indicate the location of a player's ball. Examples of thismethod of marking include U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,229 to Feeney, U.S. Pat.No. 5,720,482 to Boudrias, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,659 to Gluth, and U.S.Pat. No. 6,105,963 to Dontfraid. The position of a player's ball canalso be marked using colored pencils such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,000,460 to Barbiaux et al. Barbiaux also discloses the depiction ofnine golf holes on each side of a foldable game board.

[0007] Some boards have a plurality of apertures incrementally spacedalong various paths between the tee area and the green. The balllocation is marked by placing a peg or other device in the appropriateaperture. Examples of this type of marking are illustrated in U.S. Pat.No. 1,781,230 to Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,246 to Strandgard, and U.S.Pat. No. 4,277,065 to White. Strandgard discloses multiple paths to thegreen, but a chance device determines which path a player is on at thebeginning of the hole and the player remains on that path throughout thehole. There is no opportunity to move to a different path on asubsequent shot. Hill and White disclose an array of apertures and amethod of determining shot location by a combination of distance andsideways deviation. The sideways deviation is determined by a chancedevice in White and by a skill device in Hill. All of those boards withapertures have golf holes printed on only one side.

[0008] In most of these games the distance and direction of the shot isdetermined by random means, such as dice or a spinner, and can includeadditional factors such as a windage factor indicated by an additionaldie as disclosed in Dontfraid. Dice may also be used to give the shot anattribute, such as hook or slice, which affects the position of theball. Gluth discloses additional markings on conventional dice todetermine whether the shot is a hook, slice or out of bounds. Barbiauxdiscloses the use of a specialty die with special markings for hook,slice, center, fade or draw. Other specialty dice can be used, such asdisclosed in White, where special 14-sided dice, preferably each adifferent color, one for each club, are used to indicate both distanceand direction.

[0009] Some games apply additional factors to the shot as determined byinformation printed on cards, such as the skill testing cards disclosedin Boudrias, the penalty cards disclosed in Gluth, the trap cards andfairway cards disclosed in Feeney, and the several types of cardsdisclosed in Barbiaux. The games may also have additional elements suchas the specially designed direction indicator used to mark the locationof a shot as disclosed in Barbiaux.

[0010] Such use of specialty dice and informational cards, while addingadditional variation and interest to the game, add significantcomplexity to the game and slow it down, so that people may not desireto play it.

[0011] Alternatively, a game can be made very simple, such as disclosedin Strandgard where the path is determined by an initial roll of thedice, then subsequent rolls determine distance along a particular path.A player cannot move to a different path with each shot. Also hazardsare restricted to sand, water, and trees. While such a game may be easyand play very fast, it may not hold a player's interest very long.

[0012] The need exists for a simple, but interesting golf board gamethat can be played with conventional dice. The present inventionprovides a golf board game which overcomes the limitations andshortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0013] The present invention provides a golf board game which comprisesa game board having a representation of a golf course showing aplurality of individual holes, preferably on both sides of the board,with tees, fairways, greens, rough, water hazards and sand traps. Thereis at least one chance device, preferably two dice, operated by a playerfor determining “line” and “distance”. Each hole has a plurality oflocation marks arranged at spaced intervals in a plurality of generallylongitudinal lines along the hole. At least one of the lines has atleast one location mark on the green. Each line corresponds to a markingon the at least one chance device for determining “line”. There are aplurality of ball markers positionable on the board at the locationmarks. A position of a player's ball marker for a shot is a combinationof the “line” and “distance” as determined by the at least one chancedevice.

[0014] In one embodiment, the location marks are apertures through theboard. Preferably the lines of apertures for the golf holes on one sideof the board are the same lines of apertures used for the golf holes onthe other side of the board.

[0015] The game further includes a shot index reference that includes alist of different golf clubs and a listing of distances for each clubassociated with each possible outcome of the at least one chance devicefor determining distance. The distance of a shot is the distanceassociated with the club selected by the player for the outcome of thechance device for the shot. The shot index reference preferably includesa putting index used when a shot is on the green. The putting indexindicates the number of strokes to finish play on a hole for the outcomeof the at least one chance device. The shot index reference alsopreferably includes a pitch-and-putt index used when a shot is within apredetermined distance of the green. The pitch-and-putt index indicatesthe number of strokes to finish play on a hole for the outcome of the atleast one chance device.

[0016] The invention also provides a method of playing a golf boardgame. A board is provided depicting a plurality of golf holes indicatingat least greens and fairways. The board has a plurality of locationmarks arranged at spaced intervals in a plurality of generallylongitudinal lines along each hole. At least some of the lines touch thefairway and the green on any particular hole. Each line corresponds to amarking on a “line” chance device. The “line” chance device is operatedto determine which line to move a marker to. A “distance” chance deviceis operated to determine a distance to move the marker along thedetermined line. The marker is moved to a location mark based oncombined results of the “line” and “distance” chance devices. If themarker is not on the green or within a predetermined distance of thegreen, the “line” and “distance” chance devices are operated again tonewly determine which line to move the marker to and the distance tomove the marker along the newly determined line. If the marker is on thegreen or is within a predetermined distance of the green, one of thechance devices is operated to determine the number of strokes to finishplay on the hole.

[0017] When the “distance” chance device is operated, there ispreferably a substep of comparing the outcome of the “distance” chancedevice with a shot index reference which includes a list of differentgolf clubs and a listing of distances for each club associated with eachpossible outcome of the chance device. The distance of a shot is thedistance associated with the club selected by a player for the outcomeof the chance device for the shot.

[0018] The features, benefits and objects of this invention will becomeclear to those skilled in the art by reference to the followingdescription, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1 is perspective view the of a golf board game of the presentinvention illustrating the components of the board game.

[0020]FIG. 2 is perspective view of the board of FIG. 1 shown partiallyfolded along a central hinge and shown partially cut away to show golfholes depicted on both sides of the board.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of both the front and the back of theboard of FIG. 1.

[0022]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the board of FIG. 1illustrating details of the golf holes.

[0023]FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the board of FIG.4 taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is illustrated and generally indicated by thereference numeral 10. The golf board game 10 includes a board 12 with arepresentation of a golf course showing a plurality of individual golfholes depicted on both sides of it, a plurality of flagsticks 14 formarking the cup location on the greens, a plurality of ball markers 16,such as pegs, for marking each player's ball location, preferably twochance devices, such as dice 18 and 20, a printed set of rules 22, and aplurality of score cards 24.

[0025] The board 12 has a plurality of location marks 42 arranged in aplurality of longitudinal lines along each golf hole. The location marksare preferably apertures through the board for receiving flagsticks 14and ball markers 16. The same apertures used for golf holes on the frontside of the board are used for different golf holes on the backside ofthe board.

[0026] In another embodiment of the invention, the location marks 42 mayalternatively be dots or other marks printed on the board rather thanapertures, and the flagsticks 14 and ball markers 16 are then designedto set on top of the board rather than be received in apertures. Thoughthis arrangement allows for simpler manufacturing since there are noapertures, the flags and ball markers are not as stable and occupy morespace on the board making it more cumbersome when multiple players'shotsare in the same area, such as a green.

[0027] Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the board 12 is flat andpreferably approximately 18 inches square. It has graphical depictionsof golf holes including greens, fairways, rough, sand traps and waterhazards illustrated, such as by printing, preferably on both sides ofthe board 12. The golf holes are preferably laid out in a manner similarto that of a real golf course, with nine golf holes on the front side ofthe board and nine golf holes on the back side of the board. In theembodiment wherein the location marks 42 are apertures, each golf holeon the back nine uses the same lines of apertures as golf holes on thefront nine, but the back nine golf holes are different than the frontnine regarding the placement of the greens and hazards. This is readilyseen in FIG. 3 which illustrates both the front and back sides of board12. Lines of location marks 42 are symmetrical about line ‘L’ but thearrangement of the greens, rough, and various hazards on the back aredifferent from those on the front.

[0028] Board 12 preferably has a central hinge 26 which allows board 12to be folded in half for easier storage. Golf holes are preferablyarranged on board 12 such that they do not cross hinge 26 so thatapertures through the board for receiving flagsticks and ball markersare located away from hinge 26, but it is not necessary that golf holesbe so arranged. Four golf holes are preferably located to one side ofhinge 26 and five holes to the other side.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, each golf hole is depicted torepresent the features found on a real golf hole. The beginning of eachhole has the tee 30 and the end of each hole has a green 32. There is afairway area 34 generally between the tee 30 and the green 32, and arough area 36 generally along the edges of the fairway area 34. Thereare also strategically located water hazards 38 and sand traps 40. Thegolf holes are preferably depicted in color with the fairway area 34being a medium shade of green, the greens 32 being a lighter shade ofgreen, and the rough 36 being a darker shade of green. Water hazards 38are preferably blue and sand traps 40 are preferably tan.

[0030] The board 12 preferably has a plurality of location marks 42located from the tee 30 through the green 32 area. The longitudinaldistance between each location mark 42 represents a simulated 20 yardson the golf hole. Location marks 42 are arranged in five longitudinallines beginning 100 yards beyond the tee 30, and extending preferably atleast 20 yards beyond the green 34. The central line 44 is the mostdirect path between the tee 30 and green 32, and is indicated by amarked line connecting the location marks 42 along central line 44. Atleast one location mark on central line 44 is on the green 32. Two ofthe lines of location marks 42 are disposed to one side of the centralline 44, and two lines of location marks 42 are disposed to the otherside of central line 44. At the 100 yard mark, a radial transverse line46 is marked connecting the first location mark in each of the fivelines, and a label for each line is placed adjacent the location mark 42at that location. The central line 44 is labeled “34” the two linesadjacent central line 44 are labeled “2” and “5” respectively, and theouter lines are labeled “1” and “6”. These labels correspond with themarkings on a side of a multi-sided die, preferably a conventionalsix-sided die, rolled to determine which line of location marks a shotis on. Line 46 is also labeled “100” to denote a simulated 100 yarddistance from the tee. Additional radial transverse lines 48 are locatedeach simulated hundred yards along a hole and labeled accordingly to aidplayers in moving their ball markers 16.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 4, selected location marks 42 on board 12 haveadditional markings signifying additional hazardous features of thegame. Such markings may include “out of bounds” 50, “lost ball” 52,which are typically located in rough 36 areas, “trees” 54, a “fairwaydivot” 56, and a “plugged ball” 58 in a sand trap 40. The consequencesof a player landing on such a feature are spelled out in the rules, andmay include penalty strokes or limitations on the next shot as will bediscussed later.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 5, the greens have several location marks 42 onwhich a flagstick 14 for marking the cup location is placed. Playersagree on which location marks to place the flagsticks 14 before the gamebegins. For the embodiment in which the location marks are apertures,flagstick 14 includes a shaft portion 60 which is inserted into anaperture and a flag portion 62 on the top of the shaft portion 60. Theflag portion 62 preferably displays a number corresponding with thenumber of the golf hole.

[0033] Each player has a ball marker 16 to mark the location of theirball on board 12. For the embodiment in which the location marks areapertures, ball marker 16 includes a stem portion 64 which is insertedinto an aperture and a ball portion 66 on top of the stem portion 64.Ball portion 66 is preferably a size and shape such that ball marker 16is easy to grasp by the players. Ball marker 16 may resemble a golf ballon a tee. As a game is played, players move their ball marker 16 fromone location mark 42 to another based on the results of rolling dice 18and 20 as determined by the rules.

[0034] Playing the Game

[0035] To play the game, players preferably use two conventional dice,one designated as the line die 18, and the other designated as thedistance die 20 to determine which line of location marks 42 the shot ison and the distance of their shot. The two dice 18 and 20 are preferablytwo different colors so that players can easily discern which is theline die 18 and which is the distance die 20. The number on the line die18 corresponds with a number on the board 12 for a line of locationmarks 42. Numbers 3 and 4 correspond to the central line 44 of locationmarks 42 down the center of the fairway 34, and the other numbers 1, 2,5 and 6 each correspond to one of the other four lines of location marks42. Therefore, there is a greater likelihood that any shot will be downthe center of the fairway 34.

[0036] There are a series of clubs a player can select from to hit ashot, and each possible outcome of the distance die 20 corresponds to adistance for that particular club. For each club, the distances in yardscorresponding to each number, 1 through 6, on the distance die 20 aretabulated in a shot index reference sheet printed in the rules 22. Thepreferred shot index is listed in Table 1. TABLE 1 Distance Die NumbersShot Type Shank Fat Normal Normal Normal Crush White Die Roll 1 2 3 4 56 Club Driver 100 120 260 260 260 280 3 Wood 100 120 240 240 240 260 5Wood 100 120 220 220 220 240 2/3 Iron 100 120 200 200 200 220 4/5 Iron100 120 180 180 180 200 6/7 Iron 100 120 160 160 160 180 8 Iron 100 120140 140 140 160 9 Iron 80 100 120 120 120 140 Wedge 60 80 100 100 100120 A/Wedge 40 60 80 80 80 100 S/Wedge 20 40 60 60 60 80 Pitch and PuttHole 2 3 4 3 Hole Out Out Putter Strokes 1 2 3 1 2 3

[0037] The list of clubs preferably includes the clubs as listed inTable 1, but the list may include more or less clubs depending on thelevel of complexity desired. Also, the distances assigned to each numberon the die are preferred distances, but can be changed as desired. Forthe driver, fairway wood, long iron, and medium iron, the averagedistance for that club is assigned to the numbers 3, 4, and 5 on thedistance die 20, and therefore is three times as likely to occur as theother distances for that club listed in Table 1. A roll of the number 1is considered a “shank” shot resulting in only 100 yards for most clubs.A roll of the number 2 is considered a “fat” shot resulting in adistance a little longer than the shank shot, but not as good as anormal shot. A roll of the number 6 is considered a “crush” shot 20yards longer than average, which may or may not be beneficial to theplayer.

[0038] For the short irons and wedges, the average distances for thoseclubs are again assigned to the numbers 3, 4 and 5, but the numbers 1and 2 produce a shot 40 and 20 yards respectively less than the averagedistance.

[0039] When the player's ball lands on the green 32, the putting indexis used for the next shot to determine how many putts a player takes toget the ball in the cup. The preferred listing shown in Table 1 providesan equal chance for 1, 2, or 3 putts.

[0040] When a player's ball is within a predetermined distance,preferably 40 yards, of the green 32, the pitch-and-putt index listed inTable 1 is used for the next shot. The number in the table correspondingto the number rolled on the distance die 20 is the number of strokes toget the ball in the cup and finish play on the hole. A roll of a 1 or 6“holes out” the shot with only one stroke.

[0041] Alternatively, rather than combining the pitching and putting ina single operation, the pitching can be done separately. For example, ona pitch shot, a roll of a “1” on the distance die 20 could result in“holing out” the shot and the player records only one more stroke tofinish play on the hole. Any other number on the distance die wouldresult in the shot being “on the green” and the distance die is thenrolled again and the putting index is then used to finish play on thehole.

[0042] To play the game, a player announces which club he wants to hitand rolls both the dice 18 and 20. The number coming up on the line die18 determines which of the lines of location marks 42 the shot will landon. The number coming up on the distance die 20 is matched with thenumber in the shot index reference to determine the distance of theshot, and the player's ball marker 16 is advanced to the appropriatelocation mark 42 in the board corresponding to the distance and line.Until a player's ball marker is within a predetermined distance of thegreen, the position of a player's ball marker for a shot is determinedby combination of the line die 18 and the distance die 20. A subsequentshot can, therefore, be on a different line than the first shot. As inreal golf, each player takes turns hitting shots and records his scoreon each hole on a scorecard 24. The lowest number of shots in a roundwins.

[0043] Game Rules

[0044] The preferred rules for playing the game are listed as follows,but may be changed as desired. All flagsticks are to be installed atpredetermined location marks on the greens before play. Before making ashot, a player refers to the shot index and announces his clubselection. A player rolls both dice to determine the line of the shotand the distance obtained from the shot index, and then places his ballmarker on the applicable location mark on the board. Each playercontinues to make shots accordingly until the player's ball is within 40yards of the green or lands on the green, at which time thepitch-and-putt or putting indexes are used respectively to finish strokeplay for the hole. Strokes are accumulated until a total is reached fora complete round.

[0045] If a ball lands in a water hazard, it is moved backwards on thesame line of location marks as shot to the nearest fairway location markwith a one-stroke penalty. If a ball is driven past the last locationmark in a line, hit “out of bounds” or is “lost,” a one-stroke penaltyis assessed and the next shot is made from the same location as the “outof bounds” or “lost” shot. If a ball lands in the rough, a sand trap andis not plugged, a divot, or a tree area, a ½ stroke penalty is added foreach encounter. If a ball lands in a sand trap and “plugged,” thepenalty is one stroke.

[0046] Alternatives

[0047] There are numerous alternatives that will be apparent to oneskilled in the art for generating the information to determine the lineand distance of a shot. For example, rather than using a shot index,each club could have its own unique colored die, each die having thevarious yardages marked on each face. Such dice may have more or lessthan six sides. Another example would be to use a single die todetermine both distance and line. The single die may be rolled twice,once for the line and again for the distance, or the same number of asingle roll can be used to determine both the distance and the line.Also other chance devices, such as a spinner or an electronic numbergenerator could be used rather than dice.

[0048] The descriptions above and the accompanying drawings should beinterpreted in the illustrative and not the limited sense. While theinvention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodimentor embodiments thereof, it should be understood that there may be otherembodiments which fall within the scope of the invention as defined bythe following claims. Where a claim is expressed as a means or step forperforming a specified function it is intended that such claim beconstrued to cover the corresponding structure, material, or actsdescribed in the specification and equivalents thereof, including bothstructural equivalents and equivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf board game, comprising: a game boardhaving a representation of a golf course showing a plurality ofindividual holes thereon with tees, fairways, greens, rough, waterhazards and sand traps; at least one chance device operated by a playerfor determining “line” and “distance”; each hole having a plurality oflocation marks arranged at spaced intervals in a plurality of generallylongitudinal lines along the hole, at least one of the lines having atleast one location mark on the green, each line corresponding to amarking on the at least one chance device for determining “line”; aplurality of ball markers positionable on the board at the locationmarks; wherein a position of a player's ball marker for a shot is acombination of the “line” and “distance” as determined by the at leastone chance device.
 2. The golf board game of claim 1, wherein the atleast one chance device is two dice, one of the dice determining “line”and the other determining “distance”.
 3. The golf board game of claim 1,further comprising a plurality of flagsticks, each flagstick placed at aselected location mark on each of the greens.
 4. The golf board game ofclaim 1, further comprising a shot index reference that includes a listof different golf clubs and a listing of distances for each clubassociated with each possible outcome of the at least one chance devicefor determining distance, the distance of a shot being the distanceassociated with the club selected by the player for the outcome of thechance device for the shot.
 5. The golf board game of claim 4, whereinthe shot index reference includes a putting index used when a shot is onthe green, the putting index indicating a number of strokes to finishplay on a hole for the outcome of the at least one chance device.
 6. Thegolf board game of claim 4, wherein the shot index reference includes apitch-and-putt index used when a shot is within a predetermined distanceof the green, the pitch-and-putt index indicating a number of strokes tofinish play on a hole for the outcome of the at least one chance device.7. The golf board game of claim 1, wherein one of the lines is a centralline and the most direct path between the tee and green for a hole. 8.The golf board game of claim 7, wherein the central line has a greaterchance of being selected by the at least one chance device fordetermining line than the other lines.
 9. The golf board game of claim8, wherein, the plurality of lines for each hole is 5, with two linesdisposed on each side of the central line.
 10. The golf board game ofclaim 9, wherein the central line has a greater chance of being selectedby the at least one chance device for determining line than the otherlines.
 11. The golf board game of claim 1, wherein the location marksare spaced to represent simulated 20 yard increments on a golf hole. 12.The golf board game of claim 11, wherein the lines of location marksbegin at a simulated distance of 100 yards from a tee.
 13. The golfboard game of claim 1, wherein the board has golf holes depicted on bothsides of it, the golf holes depicted on one side of the board aredifferent than those depicted on the other side of the board.
 14. Thegolf board game of claim 13, wherein the location marks are aperturesthrough the board.
 15. The golf board game of claim 14, wherein lines ofapertures for the golf holes on one side of the board are the same linesof apertures used for the golf holes on the other side of the board. 16.A golf board game, comprising: a game board having a representation of agolf course showing a plurality of individual holes depicted differentlyon both sides of the board with tees, fairways, greens, rough, waterhazards and sand traps; a first chance device operated by a player fordetermining “line”; a second chance device operated by a player fordetermining “distance”; a shot index reference that includes a list ofdifferent golf clubs and a listing of distances for each club associatedwith each possible outcome of the second chance device, the distance ofa shot being the distance associated with the club selected by theplayer for the outcome of the second chance device for the shot; eachhole having a plurality of location marks arranged at spaced intervalsin five generally longitudinal lines along the hole with two of thelines disposed on each side of a central line, the central line havingat least one location mark on the green, each line corresponding to amarking on the first chance device, the central line having a greaterchance of being selected by the first chance device than the otherlines; a plurality of ball markers positionable on the board at thelocation marks; wherein a position of a player's ball marker for a shotis determined by combination of the first chance device and the secondchance device.
 17. A golf board game, comprising: a game board having arepresentation of a golf course showing a plurality of individual golfholes depicted differently on both sides of the board with tees,fairways, greens, rough, water hazards and sand traps; at least onechance device operated by a player for determining “line” and“distance”; each hole having a plurality of apertures through the boardarranged at spaced intervals in a plurality of generally longitudinallines along the hole, at least one of the lines having at least oneaperture on the green, each line corresponding to a marking on the firstchance device, lines of apertures for the golf holes on one side of theboard being the same lines of apertures used for the golf holes on theother side of the board; a plurality of ball markers positionable on theboard in the apertures; wherein a position of a player's ball marker fora shot is a combination of the “line” and “distance” as determined bythe at least one chance device.
 18. A method of playing a golf boardgame, comprising the steps of: providing a board depicting a pluralityof golf holes indicating at least greens and fairways, the board havinga plurality of location marks arranged at spaced intervals in aplurality of generally longitudinal lines along each hole, at least someof the lines touching the fairway and the green on any particular hole,each line corresponding to a marking on a “line” chance device;operating the “line” chance device to determine which line to move amarker to; operating a “distance” chance device to determine a distanceto move the marker along the determined line; moving the marker to alocation mark based on combined results of the “line” and “distance”chance devices; if the marker is not on the green or within apredetermined distance of the green, then operating the “line” and“distance” chance devices again to newly determine which line to movethe marker to and the distance to move the marker along the newlydetermined line; if the marker is on the green or is within apredetermined distance of the green, then operating one of the chancedevices to determine the number of strokes to finish play on the hole.19. The method of claim 18, wherein operating the “distance” chancedevice includes the substep of comparing the outcome of the “distance”chance device with a shot index reference which includes a list ofdifferent golf clubs and a listing of distances for each club associatedwith each possible outcome of the chance device, the distance of a shotbeing the distance associated with the club selected by a player for theoutcome of the chance device for the shot.
 20. The method of claim 18,wherein the “line” and “distance” chance devices are a single deviceoperated sequentially.